Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, unless otherwise stated. In this case, I only own Kimi and her village. Who is that? Read and find out . . .
Author's Note: Now, as far as "Mary Sue"s go, I think my Kimi might fall into that category. Still, I believe she can be saved from such a title. Anyway, for anyone keeping up with Fangrlz, this one won't be updated as often. I'm going to try to make this a once-every-other-week thing. I have some chapters written, and hopefully, by the time I catch up post-wise, I'll have written plenty more. I hope you enjoy this particular fic!
II
Retracing his steps, Itachi Uchiha easily found his way back to the small cluster of trees that housed the weeping girl. As he approached, silent as a ghost, he realized that he could not hear her. Had she moved? Had she gone? Itachi peered around the same tree behind which he had hidden before. No. She was still there. Her sobbing had simply subsided to silent tears.
The girl was rubbing her ankle again through the wide, black harem pants she wore. Though her tears still flowed freely, her noisier weeping had certainly calmed, her chest only jerking with the occasional gasp. Her pale face was almost serene in the shadows of the trees, though her brow still crumpled in pain.
After casting one last suspicious glance at the branches above the copse that might have harbored enemies – and finding none – Itachi stepped cautiously from hiding. The girl did not notice him as he moved quietly to stand in front of her. The young shinobi swallowed as he looked down at the top of her head, mouth suddenly dry. Why was his chest so tight? He could not be nervous; he could not be afraid. He had faced death before without fear and yet was balking at the thought of speaking to this stranger? Why? What was so special about this girl?
Gathering his wits and banishing the flicker of anger from his face, Itachi held out the flower blossom and opened his mouth to speak. "Don't cry," he said softly, almost startling himself with the gentleness in his voice.
His voice certainly startled the girl, for she jerked in surprise, head snapping up and right hand flying to her chest. Itachi froze as her eyes captured his, losing any plans he might have made for the encounter. For a moment, he felt as if he was falling into those deep indigo pools. Her irises were so layered with shades of the violet-blue color that it appeared that someone had cut out bits of a twilight-painted sky in order to place them in her eyes.
A wave of resentment trailed Itachi's initial confusion, but he managed to keep both emotions from his face. Instead, he swallowed again and shifted the hand holding the flower. He still could not break that gaze, though.
"Here," he managed, finding his voice. "It's for you."
The girl freed him from her hypnotic gaze, turning it to the blossom offered to her. With a shaking hand, she reached out and took it, holding it lightly as if it was made of glass. As the girl stared down at the flower's heart, Itachi mentally ran through courses of action, attempting to find the best one.
He could always demand what he wanted to know, but that would not be wise considering her unknown identity and purpose. Besides, she might not know. The girl shifted slightly, raising her head to look at Itachi with confusion and fear running circles within her eyes. No, Itachi decided. I'll ride this out – see where it goes. I can analyze everything later.
"My name is Itachi," he said gently, seating himself carefully in front of the girl and smiling in what he hoped was a friendly manner. "I'm sorry if I startled you."
She hastily wiped her eyes with a weak laugh. "No. It – it's fine." Her voice was soft and meek, slightly hoarse from her previous crying. "I'm Kimi." She seemed about to say more but fell silent instead.
Itachi nodded to her. "It's nice to meet you Kimi." A smile twitched on the corner of the girl's mouth, and Itachi risked continuing – wondering all the while what it meant. "What are you doing out here all alone?"
A blush swept across Kimi's already-flushed cheeks and she stared down at the ground with an embarrassed wince. "I – I – uh."
She glanced up at Itachi through her still-wet eyelashes. He cocked his head to one side, prompting her to continue with a curious lift of his eyebrows.
"I got lost," Kimi admitted in a rush.
Itachi surprised himself again by laughing out loud, causing Kimi to hunch her shoulders and sink lower in embarrassment. "Don't worry," he assured her. "You're definitely not the first one."
Kimi slowly lifted her head. "You're not lost too, are you?" Itachi shook his head. "Then what are you doing out here all alone?" Her eyes flicked rapidly around the small copse as if she expected more shinobi to emerge from the shadows.
Itachi touched his headband. "I'm training."
The girl's eyes widened. "You're a shinobi? But – you're so young!"
Itachi shrugged one shoulder and eyed the girl carefully. "You know of shinobi?" Again, the question returned. Was she a shinobi herself?
Kimi absently rubbed her ankle. "Well, everyone's pretty much heard of shinobi. We had some in the village I came from, but no one's ever graduated from our academy so early! It's – it's unheard of! The Council would never allow it." Her eyes slid out of focus as she finished the last statement.
Itachi hesitated for a moment before calling her back with another question, faintly wondering where her mind had gone. "Did you attend?"
"The Academy? Well – uh – sort of," Kimi replied evasively, a wry smile twisting up one corner of her mouth. She seemed unable to meet Itachi's eyes.
"Sort of?"
Kimi shrugged, mimicking Itachi's earlier movement. "Everyone in our village is given basic training," she explained, "self defense and stuff like that. You know? Anyway, if the Council doesn't think you're fit to be a shinobi, then they drop you from the program. Very few students graduate each year – and only those they really approve of."
Itachi did not ask the question that rose in his mind. Her tone had already answered it. This "Council" had not seen her "fit" to be a shinobi and had thus dropped her from the program – refused her any training. He scowled slightly.
"That doesn't seem fair. If you want to be a shinobi, regardless of natural ability, you should be allowed to train." Itachi tilted his head. "Do you want to be one?"
Kimi shook her head. "I don't know. At one time, I thought so, but now . . ." She sighed. "I don't really want to be a shinobi – a weapon. No offense to you, of course. I just – I don't know." She fell silent, her face troubled.
Itachi chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "So," he said slowly, lightening his tone in an attempt to lighten the mood, "where were you going when you got lost?"
"Konohagakure," Kimi replied, sitting a little straighter, "the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Before Itachi could ask why, she seemed to sense the question and proceeded with a soft smile. "I've always wanted to travel and see the world – meet new people – experience the culture – eat new food – that sort of thing." Itachi chuckled. "I heard a lot of nice things about Konoha, so I thought I'd go there. But there was a storm yesterday and I had to take shelter in the forest." She looked around at the trees towering over them. "This place looks a lot different in the light, and it doesn't help that I'm directionally challenged."
Itachi rose to his feet, brushing off his tan shorts. "Well, today's your lucky day." He touched his forehead protector again. "I happen to be from Konoha. I'll take you there." The young shinobi held out a hand to her.
"Thanks," Kimi said, "but I don't think I'm going anywhere fast." She looked down at her left ankle. "I slipped on the wet ground and twisted my ankle."
"That's not a problem," Itachi stated almost flippantly, still holding out his hand to her.
"You don't get it. I can't walk."
Itachi smiled and said without thinking, "But I can carry you." She stared at him and he wiggled his fingers. "Come on. We can get you some ice in the village."
Kimi's look of surprise faded into an easy smile as she reached up and accepted Itachi's hand.
Author's Note 2: I think I'm going to have quite a bit of fun with Itachi's confusion . . . :)